NGO's raise the red card
The representatives of the civil society say to be disappointed at the end of the Conference

In the hemicycle of the Council of Europe, the plenary session was following the slow rhythm of ministerial declarations, until the turn of Austrian representative came. The Austrian minister quoted the good practices of his country as examples that could inspire other countries' policies in the fight against racism. However, during his whole intervention, all NGO representatives present in the room raised a big red card to express condemnation of the conciliating attitude of European governments that lifted the sanctions against Austria. The red cards read in big letters a very clear message : " NO COALITION WITH RACISM."

At the end of the speech, an Austrian HR activist walked down to the center of the hemicycle while claiming his protest in a loud voice.

This was the way NGO's could finally get their message through : flirting with extreme-right is extremely dangerous !




However, numerous NGO representatives will leave the Conference quite disappointed by the governments, because they have noticed that their own conclusions had very little influence on the official conclusions of the Conference. It is probably in the contacts they could make between themselves, and in the progressive development of networking, that the success of the Forum truly lies. Little by little, an international civil society is organizing.